Let Him Go (He's My Friend, Not Yours)
by Selene Illusinia
Summary: Fitz get's jealous and Simmons has a talk with a certain specialist/pilot. Hints of Trimmons if you tilt your head and squint.


The anger that flashed through him was sharp; it was like nothing he'd ever felt before. Even when he'd been at Uni with Jemma and he'd had to endure the hours of other scientists flocking around her flirtatiously, he'd never felt jealousy like this.

Then again, Jemma didn't have an ex-husband who appeared to still be flirting with her.

Leo felt his anger switch from deep simmering to full scale boiling a moment later when said ex made a remark about May not knowing how to cook. Why didn't he know May couldn't cook? And why couldn't he make May laugh like that? The way her lips quirked and her eyes flashed with mirth was almost addicting. The sound as it danced across the room was even more beautiful than he'd thought it would be. He wanted to know those intimate details about her, to be able to elicit that reaction! He wanted to make May laugh like her former husband could.

Then again, he knew the answer already. Who could laugh with him there staring brokenly at them? Even when he did manage to smile, he knew it looked forced. Like his face didn't want to cooperate anymore. Why would someone like May ever want him?

Again, that soft, deep laugh echoed out of the kitchen, joined by a distinctly male one. His stomach clenched uncomfortably at the sound. Her laugh made his heart race, her ex's made him nauseous. He needed to get away, screw this.

Turning, he scurried away as quickly as he could, heading for the only other microwave he knew of: the lab's. Jemma could deal with him for five minutes. They might not be speaking, but it wasn't so bad they couldn't be civil. And so what if he'd doctored Skye's results? With the way Jemma was freaking out, it was mandatory. He wasn't going to let Jemma make a mistake because she was upset about Trip.

Hurrying into the lab, Leo waved briefly at Jemma as she looked up. "I won't stay long, just came to use the microwave. Didn't want to disturb May and her ex."

"Disturb them?" asked Jemma, glancing up from her work slightly but otherwise mostly ignoring him. Good.

"They're in the kitchen," explained Leo with just a touch of bitterness. "Talking."

"Oh," stated Jemma quietly, almost disinterested sounding. There was an edge to her voice that said she wasn't as disinterested as she was pretending to be though. "What are they talking about? It is about, um, Skye's condition?"

"Um, no," replied Leo as he poked the microwave in an attempt to dissipate some of the jealousy still moving through his body. "It was personal in nature. Something about May not being a good cook."

"Oh!" stated Jemma, a smile breaking across her face. "Something Agent May doesn't excel at. Interesting."

"Yeah," murmured Leo as this new information finally settled in. "He-he teased her about it." Awe finally began to replace his anger as the memory of her laugh solidified. "She was laughing."

"Oh," sighed Jemma happily as she moved across the room to stand beside him. The other scientist nearly bubbled with excitement, something that Leo felt himself actually relaxing in response to. "He makes her laugh. Clearly she still likes him, and have you see the way he looks at her?"

"Yeah, I have eyes Jemma," stated Leo, the anger and jealous from earlier surging to the surface again. "Of course I've see it."

"I wonder what happened between them," murmured Jemma. "Why it ended."

"Yeah," agreed Leo, the memory of the fact May's husband was her ex calming him some. "They're a bizarre pair. He listens for a living and she doesn't speak."

"True," agreed Jemma, humming a bit with that smile still in place. Leo was starting to really dislike that smile. "But you know what they say about opposites. Maybe spending some time together could rekindle-" The rapid beeping of a computer broke the conversation almost immediately, sending Jemma across the room to a monitor. Leo couldn't say he was exactly disappointed. He might have snapped if Jemma had gotten the chance to finish her sentence. "It's Skye. Get May and Dr. Garner. Now!"

Leo wasn't going to lie- the fact that he got to disrupt the conversation between May and her ex for a reason was rather appealing to him. It gave him an excuse to break them apart and put an end to their flirting. Unfortunately, that would also mean putting an end to this moment when May seemed so relaxed and at peace. He didn't like that bit, but Skye's safety needed to come first all the same. He just needed to attempt to not take such joy in that fact.

* * *

Jemma forced herself not to stare as she watched Andrew depart. He and May exchanged looks as he stepped onto the plane that would whisk him away, speaking to their past while also dismissing any ideas of a revival of that past. It was very clear that whatever they'd had was long gone. It was enough to make her cringe.

She tried very hard not to blame May, but it was hard not to resent the female agent. This woman was stealing Leo from her- and he'd been hers first. He was her best friend, her partner in scientific advancement, and her support. Leo was supposed to be hers regardless of anything that happened. Yes, she'd left for a bit, but it was for his own good. She was just making things worse for him no matter what she did. Going had been a mistake- she saw that now. She never should have left him alone. That one act had damaged their bond more than she'd thought possible.

And in that void, May had somehow stepped into her place. Of course, May and Leo weren't best friends- he barely spoke to her. But the idolized look he got when he spotted May in the gym, the way he would watch the pilot when she was working, all of it gave him away. Leo had fallen in love with May and Jemma wasn't sure how to stop it all from happening. She just wanted her best friend back, the one person she could count on above all else. She wanted the man she'd found herself constantly looking for, the one she wanted to lean on when she was pushed to her limits or celebrate with when they achieved success.

She wanted Leo back in her life as her partner in science and closest friend, but it wouldn't happen so long as May stood in her way. As horrible as it sounded, she needed to get rid of May. Somehow, she needed to eliminate this attraction Leo had to the pilot. It was selfish, but she'd already lost Trip. She wasn't willing to lose Leo as well.

As everyone began to exit the room so the plane carrying Andrew could lift off, Jemma took a deep breath and stepped up next to May. "Excuse me, Agent May, could I speak with you?"

May raised an eyebrow slightly in response to the request, but otherwise remained expectantly silent.

Hoping the silence was May's equivalent of a yes, Jemma turned towards the door across the hanger from where the others were heading. Though she wanted to have this discussion in the lab where she felt safe, she knew there was a good chance they'd be interrupted there. The lounge would be a far better place- it was rarely occupied during the day.

She could hear May's light footsteps echo down the hall behind her, the sound driving her anxiety up. Her hands were shaking slightly as she opened the door to the lounge area. Glancing quickly inside, she confirmed it was empty before she turned to hold the door open for May. The agent didn't hesitate to enter, though she gave Jemma a suspicious look as she passed. Jemma did her best to ignore it and followed the specialist inside.

May stopped a few steps into the room, crossing her arms and again giving Jemma the expectant look from before. There was a hint of impatience in the agent's stance, too. It made Jemma all the more nervous.

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves, Jemma carefully folded her hands in front of her and attempted to voice her thoughts. Well, voice them subtly; she didn't want May to destroy Leo's heart after all. Then again, if the other agent did break Leo's heart firmly enough, Jemma might get him back all the faster.

"I need to talk with you," repeated Jemma, her voice warbling slightly to her dismay. It wasn't the strong, authoritative voice she wanted right then- she sounded like a nervous bird! She'd gone undercover in _Hydra_ , she could do this! May was nowhere near as intimidating.

"So you said," stated May, her voice a touch irritated. "What about?"

"About, um," Jemma cleared her throat a little, beginning to wilt slightly under May's stare. "About Fitz."

Again, May gave her an expectant look, though the specialist seemed to relax a little. Or at least her shoulders dropped slightly. "What about him?"

"Fitz is…" started Jemma again, struggling to find the words. Just saying it didn't seem right somehow- she needed to be tactful about this. "He's…in a bit of a slump I'm afraid. You see, he's become rather…interested in a woman."

The disinterested look that crossed May's face was oddly encouraging- at least it meant she wasn't interested. Well, assuming she knew she was the woman Jemma was referring to of course, but how could she not? There wasn't another reason for Jemma to be discussing this with her.

"And?" pressed May, the minor irritation in her voice before growing a bit stronger. "If he's interested in someone, then he should do something about it."

"The issue is that she isn't interested," explained Jemma quickly, hoping to direct the topic towards gentle letdowns. "I don't really understand why he's become so attracted to her, but he has and he doesn't want to discuss his clear attraction with me."

"Then how do you know he's actually attracted," countered May, her lips thinning, "or that she isn't."

"Because he isn't her type," dismissed Jemma somewhat sadly. "I mean, not that I'd wish he was her type or anything, but Fitz is very…delicate right now and I don't want to see her crush him."

"I'm still not sure why you're discussing this with me," stated May with a frown and resigned look, "but my advice would be to leave it alone. Fitz is a grown man and there's no reason to worry about someone breaking his heart. He can handle it, if it even happens." Pausing then, she added carefully: "And as his friend, it would be more conducive to support him regardless of what happens with this woman rather than worrying about what she might say to him."

"I'm not worried about her turning him down, I'm already positive she will do exactly that," corrected Jemma quickly. There was no reason for her to deny that she knew May would never say yes to Leo. They were simply too different to work. "I just don't want her to turn him down harshly."

"She might not turn him down, too," reminded May calmly, a bit of a knowing glint in her eyes. There was something almost soft in her gaze as she added: "You won't lose Fitz, Simmons, but you might have to learn to share him."

Jemma's stomach dropped out at May's words. What did that mean? Share Leo? Why would she need to share him? Leo was in love with May, but May would never take Leo as a boyfriend or lover. Leo was too…Leo. He was a scientist and May was a specialist. The two didn't mix well.

"Trust me, he isn't her type," insisted Jemma, though even she could hear the faint desperation in her own voice. "She's more into -" She faltered there, unsure what to say. What kind of men did May like? Andrew was a psychologist for one, a profession that was all about listening. It was odd because, as Leo had pointed out, she barely spoke. So maybe quiet men? That definitely wasn't Leo- he could babble endlessly when he wanted to. Or maybe supportive would be a better way to put it. That was the primary function of a psychologist after all- support the patient as they healed. Supportive was a trait of Leo's though. It was one of her favorite things about him, honestly.

"It's impossible to know someone's type," stated May quietly, turning towards the door. "Sometimes people don't even realize what they want or need until it's in front of them."

"But-" started Jemma, her mind trying to process what was happening. "But Fitz isn't- he's not…"

May didn't respond or pause though, just exited the room silently, leaving a stumbling Jemma in her wake.

For a long moment, Jemma just stood there trying to understand what had just happened. She was a genius; that conversation should have been simple! Just warn May against shattering Leo's heart but still encourage her to turn him down. How had it come to this?

Quietly, Jemma slumped against the wall, her words finally coming to her as she curled into a ball. Tears began to leak from her eyes as she spoke, the reality that she might have truly lost her best friend settling in. "But Fitz isn't yours, he's mine."


End file.
